Thursday, November 25, 2021

Remember the cat who fell upstairs?

I'm sure you all remember Older Daughter's cat Frumpkin – the Cat Who Fell Upstairs. For new readers, Frumpkin was abandoned by people who moved out (this was in our old neighborhood). He was left to fend for himself, a cruel fate for a former house cat.

He sorta adopted us and became our barn cat, where at least he was fed and out of the elements. When Older Daughter returned from her job in New Jersey, she fell in love with the cat, named him Frumpkin, and took him with her when she got her own apartment. He's been living the life of Riley ever since.

Older Daughter arbitrarily decided today was his birthday. Why today? Because it's the anniversary of his adoption (by her). In reality, she has no idea how old he is. She guesstimates he's six years old, because last year the vet said he's probably at least five.

For his birthday, Older Daughter got Frumpkin a present: a water fountain.

"So I set up Frumpkin's water fountain today," she messaged. "He was extremely unsure about it."

"I stood there with a camera poised for a while before I realized the best way to get a cat to do something is to make them think they're doing it in secret, so I pretended to work in the kitchen. Sure enough..."

"Then I got his birthday tuna."

"He was impatient because I wouldn't let him have it until I blew out the candle."

"Happy cat."

"That's his default position when I'm on the computer."

More pics:

Older Daughter concluded by saying, "He's living a good life, that cat."

I'd say she's right. Happy Arbitrary Birthday, Frumpkin.

12 comments:

  1. He is so such a happy cat. Nice to see that he has a good birthday. Your older daughter is lucky to have such a loving cat.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love reading the stories about your animals. I still miss Matilda and Polly! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving day on Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ooooh, lucky boy! Missing my own cat, who left us in July.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have to get that water fountain, my cat is a fanatic water girl, her favorite (when I have it out in the summer) is the crock pot I use for extra water for the chickens in the yard.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Her photos remind me of yours. ❤️ Happy Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy birthday Frumpkin! Thanks for sharing and updating on him. He is such an absolutely beautiful cat and I can tell he is quite the character. I wish more people would appreciate cats like they do dogs. They each have their own personality and can be quite the companions if we give them a chance. We have both, dogs and cats and enjoy their friendships that they provide for us daily. Frumpkin is indeed a lucky boy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's heart breaking ,what people do to innocent animals. Toss them out like garbage. It warms my heart to see frumpkin snuggling your daughter. So spoiled,so loved.
    Happy birthday frumpkin and many more.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am so glad they found each other. She is lucky to be owned by such a sweet kitty.

    ReplyDelete
  9. When pets, especially cats, sense some sort of "change" to normal, they choose to disappear for a while to maintain personal control over their environment. Many pets get left behind in the moving process, which takes time and much disruption, because, especially cats, retreat to some secret safe place sometime before the actual move.
    When my mom went to assisted living, I took in her cats. It took quite a long period of adjustment, during which time I went to stay a few days weekly. She also talked to her beloved pets on the phone daily. So at time of departure one week, a cat disappeared. Part of departure routine was ensuring all pets we're securely indoors (cats) or boarded (dog). After two hours searching I called to say I was late leaving, and suddenly there was a loud " MEOW!!!" and the cat came running to talk on the phone to her Mama! Here six years later she still has daily phone time with her Mama and mine. She always comes running for the phone time.
    Anyway, when folks move, pets have to be secured first. Some people are not very caring, but most probably just fail to plan up front for the disappearing act which frequently happens.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think OD may have to bump up Frumpkin's age a bit. I was looking at your random pics in Nov. 2012 and saw two pictures of a cat and hen who were looking in the door. That cat looks a LOT like Frumpkin. He's very young, a year old at most. He even has a white/pale chest patch like Frumpkin's. I hope this shows up in your new replies. My prayers go out to ya'll for Don's health. Thanks for your efforts on the blog.
    Sheilab15

    ReplyDelete